Eating disorders are a form of mental disorders which can encompass a wide range of food and dietary related disorders. Some of the most common and well-known forms are anorexia and bulimia, but can also include conditions like binge eating and purging. These disorders can be serious and lead to a host of medical issues. Seeking out the best eating disorder recovery center offering a variety of eating disorder treatment programs is an important first step in helping to return to healthy eating habits. It can provide you with the support and tools to guide you back to health and happiness.
What Does an Eating Disorder Program Treat?
Eating disorders can encompass a wide range of unique issues. Each has its own symptoms and treatment methods and can’t always be treated the same way as another one. Eating disorder treatment programs take these differences into account when crafting womens eating disorder recovery plans. Your specialist will make a plan for you designed to treat your exact disorder. The range of disorders can be very wide but eating disorder programs can treat most of them including:
- Anorexia nervosa
- Bulimia nervosa
- Pica disorder
- Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (selective eating disorder)
- Orthorexia nervosa
- Binge eating
While all of these are classified as eating disorders, they each present in different ways, have different symptoms and have different causes. Anorexia is typically defined as possessing a false body image, prompting one to restrict eating. Individuals with bulimia also often have false body images, so while they still eat, they purge shortly after eating. Pica is a disorder in which sufferers compulsively eat not nutritive or inedible items. Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder is when a person restricts or avoids certain foods due to some form of a mental block. Orthorexia Nervosa is similar to anorexia, but is associated with an obsession with eating healthy foods exclusively, leading to severe weight loss. Binge eating is when a person consumes an overly large amount of food in a short period of time.
Finding an Eating Disorder Treatment Program
When seeking out an eating disorder program, you want to find one that fits you and your needs well. There are typically two main form of eating disorder treatment programs. Residential treatment and outpatient, or partial hospitalization, programs. Both have pros and cons but both can be successful depending on your exact needs. A residential eating disorder treatment program involves staying temporarily in a facility specifically designed for the rehab process. Outpatient treatment allows you to live away from the facility but still receive the same quality treatments. Both of these options can be successful for a wide range of eating disorders. Stop struggling with your eating disorder and seek out the best eating disorder program to get your life back on track.
